[TamilNet, Friday, 14 February 2003, 06:46 GMT]The silver jubilee celebrations of the Orr's Hill Vivekandanda College, a leading educational institution in Trincomalee town are underway with the swearing ceremony of the prefects of the school and the College Day held at the newly built auditorium named Vivekandanda Kalai Arangam.

Prefects took oaths before a large crowd of parents, students and teachers with Mr.R.Thiagalingam, Provincial Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Cultural Affairs as the chief guest. Ms Thevigaranee Murugupillai, Deputy Zonal Director of Education was the guest of honour.

Provincial Education Secretary Mr. Thiagalingam said Orr's Hill Vivekananda College has developed into a leading educational institution in Trincomalee producing better results competing at the national level.

Master Vivekanadan Seralathan became the first in the island in the Year 5 scholarship examination in 2002 obtaining 177 marks.

Vivekandanda College was founded in 1978 at Orr's Hill, a suburb of Trincomalee town. At the commencement the school was named Orr's Hill Tamil Vidiyalayam and was declared open on 10.02.1978.

Orr's Hill Vivekananda College Band in attendance at the Silver Jubilee celebration

Earlier it was housed in a small building with cadjan (coconut tree leaves) roof with less than two hundred students, as Orr's Hill area was not developed in that period and people were not willing to settle in the area because it was a hillock surrounded by shrub jungle, sources said

The first headmaster was Mr.K.Thangavelu. In 1984 Mr. K.Balachandra Ayer became the second headmaster. For two years since 1991 Mr.M.Mahadevan was the headmaster. The present Principal is Mr.S.Navaretnam. The school was renamed Orr's Hill Vivekananda College in 1994

Vivekananda College male prefects

After 1983 riots more people bought lands at Orr's Hill and now it has developed as a residential area with more than ten thousand people. The value of the land also has gone up several folds. Now a perch of land is sold at the region of more than one hundred and fifty thousand rupees. Twenty years ago a perch was sold at about one thousand rupees in Orr's Hill area, sources said.

Several government departments, Bishop's House and offices of international non-governmental organizations such as ICRC, ZOA, and Save the Children Fund are located at the Orr's Hill, sources said.